Sections

CraveTV: Is Bell Media's Netflix competitor worth $4 a month?

Is Bell's CraveTV worth subscribing to? Photo: Screenshot

Patrick O'Rourke

Published: February 3, 2015 - 4:21 PM

Updated: February 4, 2015 - 2:57 PM

Bell Media’s recently launched streaming service, CraveTV, has one significant advantage over competing platforms like Netflix, as well as Rogers and Shaw’s shomi — it gives users affordable access to HBO’s back catalogue of content.

Unfortunately CraveTV’s biggest drawback is that in order to access the platform, users need to already be a Bell television subscriber or have a subscription to one of Bell Media’s partnered TV services. This means cord cutters who don’t have a traditional cable subscription will be blocked out of subscribing to CraveTV.

If the recent statement from Bell Media’s president, Kevin Crull, is any indication, CraveTV opening the floodgates and allowing those who don’t subscribe to a traditional television to use their new streaming video platform, will likely never happen.

In contrast to Bell Media’s stance on cord cutters and people who don’t subscribe to a traditional TV service, Rogers and Shaw have repeatedly stated the platform may open up to all users at some point. In order to subscribe to shomi right now, a customer only needs a subscription to a pre-existing Rogers or Shaw service, whether it’s Internet or television.

Of course there are ways around these subscription issues, particularly when it comes to CraveTV. If you have friends or, more likely, parents still clinging to their traditional cable subscriptions, simply ask them to share their password or even to subscribe to the service on your behalf. While this is a violation of both CraveTV and shomi’s terms-of-service, it’s unlikely either streaming platform will discover your nefarious ways.

The platform’s interface adopts a minimalist approach to browsing content and will be familiar to anyone who uses Netflix. Despite a few technical glitches and the occasional bout of lag while scrolling through CraveTV’s library, the service’s interface is largely solid. However in certain instances CraveTV’s video streaming window launches off centre when using Google Chrome.

At launch, according to Bell Media, 65% or 320 titles in CraveTV’s library are exclusive to the platform. Content found on Hulu like Inside Amy Schumer, Tosh.0 and 30 Rock, populates much of CraveTV’s library, as well as the recently announced exclusive series, Manhattan. Every season of Seinfeld is also available on the platform.

CraveTV’s biggest draw is the platform’s HBO content. [Screenshot]

But the most appealing feature is affordable access to HBO’s back-catalogue of content. While users won’t be able to watch the latest episodes of Game of Thrones or any HBO show still airing, CraveTV gives access to The Sopranos, The Wire, Hung and even HBO mini-series like Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Due to the absence of HBO Go in Canada — HBO’s mobile streaming U.S.-only streaming platform — CraveTV is also the only way to legally access HBO content in Canada without a traditional cable subscription to HBO, or a costly subscription to another Bell Media owned property, The Movie Network (TMN). TMN is priced at approximately $20 a month depending on your service provider (although TMN does have an app that gives users access to on-air series like Game of Thrones).

All of this might sound very promising, and it is, especially given CraveTV’s $4 a month subscription fee, a price tag significantly under Netflix’s and shomi’s $8.99 a month cost. Unfortunately, much likely shomi — arguably even to a greater extent given the Bell television subscription requirement and reluctance to budge on this restriction — not opening up the service to everyone will be a significant issue for most people interested in subscribing to CraveTV and also limits the platform’s audience.

While CraveTV is apparently available to all television providers, Telus Optik, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Aliant FibreOP TV, Bell Satellite TV, Eastlink, Northwestern, are Bell Media’s only current participating partners. But the main issue with the platform still remains, users still need to have a traditional television subscription to access CraveTV.

For some reason CraveTV doesn’t seem to have a recommendation feature like other streaming platforms. [Screenshot]

If the idea behind CraveTV was to move Bell Media into the Internet-streaming video future, then the company has certainly failed at its goal.

Much like shomi, a wait-and-see policy is likely the best way to approach CraveTV right now. The HBO content is a huge selling feature of the platform, as is its price, especially if you’re already a Bell television subscriber.